ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1527, 24 August 1912, Page 12

ASSOCIATION.

[Bγ "Centre-Half."]

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, ' Juniors: Hector Them or Teach Them? Encouraging juniors is a good thing, and senior clubs might very well take a le'son or two from .Swifts in this direction. »lien tho Keds turned out against Diamonds last Saturday, it was seen tbat they had lour juniors playing. Of courso it wi 1 be said that it was a case <.f "couldn't hell) it as iar as Swifts wore cm-emed opcnu-e several of iheir senior players could not, or would not, turn out. liut the fact remains, tliat tno juniors wero given a gamo in preference to other men who could liavo been pressed into service. Tho lails shaped fairly well j n j,] le j r senior canter, and will no doubt do better. Al. tbat they need is a little encouragement and teaching. But if.two or threo players (on tho Swifts side) think that bullying tho youristers on the field is goin" to do any good they are much mistaken lor instance, the outside-left for Swifts during tho first half of the game cn Saturday, was a junior. His partner was an experienced representative player loth for Auckland and Wellington. Tho junior commenced well, and might liavo finished up better than ho started, because lie was beginning to understand liis position, and, although slow at first, was warming up to his work. He had taken one or two good passes from the experi- , enced one; and had done what he could with them. The result, however, did not seem to please "Mr. Experience, and lie lot tho youth know it. The rough admonition did not improve the colt. What Use in Roaring? Seeing how things were going, a spectator called out to a certain Swifts Lalf (who had also taken, up a hastilo attitude to tho junior): "If you want juniors to play the game, why don't yc/u teach them? What's' the use of roaring?" The remark appeared to "hurt some, as the Ameiiean .would say, because, with an angry look and a remark which eculd not very well be written, the lialf-back made his way out into the centre of the field amidst derisivo laughter from tho spectators. The shot had apparently gene home, and, during the rest of the match tho harassed youngster was left alone. Interesting Birthday Reminiscences. Varied and interesting were the reminiscences given .by speakers at the tv-xnty-first birthday dinner of tho "Wellington Football Association on Wedneslay evening. Some of the oldest pioneers of the gamo waxed quite eloquent, and furnished interesting history of Association football in Wellington. Mr. T. Shields told those present of the early struggles of the clubs then in existence, and how fliey used to walk long distances to get a game. Tho speaker referred to the first matches played in Wellington, in which the original Rovers team and the defunct Queen's Park team were wont to do battle. The first trophy presented to the Association was a cuj> by the Hon. Mr. C. J. Johnston, and won by Queen's Park. Mr. Shields also mentioned that tho first representative team to leave Wellington travelled to Christchurch and played their first game on Hagley Park in 1800. On that occasion they wero beaten by two goals to nil. In 1891 Canterbury returned the visit, and the tables were turned, Wellington being victorious by one goal to nil, How th'a Brown Shield Came to be Given Mr. Shields went on to say tbat Mr. Brown, a visitor from Glasgow, had been a spectator at this game, and, sneaking at the smoke concert after tho match, ho 6tated that ho would give a shield to bo competed for by tho provinces. This was how the Brown Shield came into existence. In 1892 tho teams which competed for the trophy were Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, and Auckland, Wellington proving the winners. ■■Following on Mr. Shields, Mr. Monckton told some interesting things corcerning /flown Shield matches. It was in 1908 that a conference of delegates held in Duncdin decided to change the rules so as to make the shield a challenge trophy. Previous to that year it had been played for under competition rules. Mr. Monckton also .stated that the Football Association, ' London, had recently changed its constitution, in order to allow Mr. A. E. Gibbs to sit on the Board of Control as the delegato of Australasia. This meant that Now Zealand would have a direct voice in ,the affairs of football throughout' the British Empire. The First "Soccer" Man in Wellington, During the course of tho evening it was mentioned that Mr. W. Auld was the first man connected with tho game in Wellington, and he belonged to the old liovers Club. • v. , ■. /;. Mr. Skerrett on Professionalism. The chairman (Mr. H. M'Keowen) welcomed the new president, Mr. C. P. Skerrett, IC.C., and, in reply, Mr. Skerrett said that he felt proud to be president of such a body as tho W.F.A., and he promised the Association all the support he could. During the course of 'his remarks, Mr. Skerrett touched on professionalism, and said that he hoped that the W.F.A.. would put its face strongly a.gainst this sort of thing. The speaker said that whero professionalism held sway there was no truo sport, and we wanted sport. Second Division Championship. The positions of tho leading teams in the Second Division Championship Competition are as follow:— Matches won. Aggregate pts. . Diamonds 12 20 Toa 10 10 Wadestown ... D 15 In tho final stages of this competition, Toa is to play Wadestown to-day, and if they win, or draw, they will play off against Diamonds for the honours. If Toa wins, they will play Brooklyn, and if they defeat that team they will' play off against Diamonds. Boys of tho Fourth Divison. The leading teams in the Fourth Division competition are:— Matches Aggregate won. points. Marist Brothers' School 10 17 Brooklyn i) 11 Y.M.C.A. (A) 8 12 The Marist team is to meet Brooklyn to-day, and Y.M.C.A. (A) will play South Wellington. On September 7 the' J'.arist team will play the Y.M.C.A. (A) team, and the result of that fixture will decide tho competition. A Hospital Match in Town. The question of bringing the Poriraa Hospital team into one of the city grounds was again ventilated at the meeting of the Managemeut Committee of the W.F.A, this week, when Mr. J. Lewis moved as an amendment to the motion for the adoption of the Charity Cuj) fixtures, that tho Hospital team play this match in town. For obvious reasons, fully set out in last week's notes, this is not practicable. The matter is taken entirely out of the Hospital team's hands by the- fact that they aro governed by tho, rules of the institution which employs them, and aro liable to be summoned for duty at any time. Should the matter be raised cgain, it is to bo hoped that this point will he remembered,' and that nothing will be said, in any debate which.may arise, that will convoy the impression that the Hospital men are funking a journey to the city. They are not. Their hearts are good, but their oinployers won't lot them.